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Monday, August 3, 2009

Kill.Me.Now.(Please!)

I'm sorry for not having written any posts this past week, but I was taking a "mental health vacation". I have spent sooo much time on the Internet job hunting lately that thought of sitting down to write a blog post made me shudder. I am SO sick of job hunting.

I have been working since the age of 14 (where I danced in an outdoor musical show for kids at a Halloween hayride place, along side costumed characters such as Barney), and I don't ever recall job hunting being this difficult. It used to be, you looked through the want ads, found something you were interested in, applied, and hoped for the best. Nowadays, it seems like 50% or more of the ads that I respond to are crap. By crap, I mean they appeared to be a legit ad, with full description of what the job entails, basic requirements, etc., and the instant I send them my resumé, I get an automated email in my inbox disclosing what they really are. Usually, it's an envelope stuffing company (where you will receive $12.00 for every envelope stuffed with their materials!), or a based-on-commission, door-to-door knife selling company that wants me to start by selling to my friends and family.

This is FRUSTRATING. I'm no dummy. I normally know how to spot these ads, and I think that's the problem. These scam companies have caught on to the fact that the gig is up, so they now post "fake" ads that in no way reflect what the job really is, sneakily getting you to apply. This has resulted in a HUGE waste of my time, a ton of spam, and a lot more grey hairs on my head. The scammers are everywhere, too. From Craigslist, to the small local paper here in town, to the large Cleveland papers. Even signs on local business are false.

My mother went to the local butcher shop for some ribs, and told me that they had a sign outside advertising that they needed "deli help". This seemed totally legit since local high school students work there and this place has been a landmark business in my my town for over 100 years. But of course, when I go down there, the job is crap. They are actually looking for a butcher. Well, if you want a BUTCHER, put that on the sign"! "Deli Help" sounds to me like you want someone to work behind the counter, weighing and wrapping up the meat and filling orders for party trays, not cutting up cows in the back! Uggggggggh!

Good luck on the job hunt. I hope it all works out. Those scammers catch on pretty quickly. They know that we know how to spot them and it really is super frustrating to look for jobs, apply, only to find out that your time has been wasted since it was only a bunch of hocus pocus. =)